Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Situation Report – 121 Data as received by WHO from national authorities by 10:00 CEST, 20 May 2020
Highlights
WHO Regional Director for the Americas Dr Carissa F. Etienne highlighted that addressing COVID-19 will require protecting vulnerable groups including women, underprivileged populations, indigenous populations and migrants, by addressing health, social and economic inequalities.
WHO has published a new Case Report Form for “Suspected cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS) in children and adolescents temporally related to COVID-19” intended for use by public health professionals for collecting standardized data on clinical presentations, severity and outcomes.
Uganda commissioned the first Port Health COVID-19 laboratory at the main Uganda-Tanzania border in light of potential COVID-19 importation by truck drivers. Two GeneXpert machines will be used to test all truck drivers arriving at the Mutukula point of entry, where results will become available within 45 minutes.
A doctor from Cairo, Egypt describes how he became infected with and recovered from COVID-19 and highlights the need for health care workers to practise basic infection, prevention and control measures when interacting with patients.
Evidence from social science can help officials develop and implement policies in ways that are more likely to work because they are tailored to local needs. In the ‘Subject in Focus’ below, we look at how WHO is implementing the COVID-19 Research Roadmap agenda to translate evidence from the social sciences into action.
Situation in numbers (by WHO Region) Total (new cases in last 24 hours)
Globally 4 789 205 cases (77 375) 318 789 deaths (3 318)
Africa 65 956 cases (2 435) 1 846 deaths (50)
Americas 2 105 670 cases (36 009) 125 843 deaths (1 873)
Eastern Mediterranean 361 902 cases (11 497) 10 303 deaths (154)
Europe 1 928 799 cases (19 207) 169 033 deaths (1 035)
South-East Asia 156 211 cases (7 450) 4 971 deaths (191)
Western Pacific 169 955 cases (777) 6 780 deaths (15)
Subject in Focus: Infodemics Management - Social science evidence in outbreak response
To tackle the health, social and economic challenges of COVID-19, decision-makers need data and research from
many different disciplines. At the Global Research and Innovation meeting held in Geneva on 11-12 February 2020,
over 400 scientists, Member State representatives, public health professionals, donors and private sector
representatives came together to agree on priorities to accelerate research for the COVID-19 response. Social
science was one of the nine research areas that featured on the meeting’s agenda.
Social science is a broad disciplinary field that includes anthropology, psychology, behavioural science, political
science, and social epidemiology. Evidence from social science can help officials develop and implement policies
in ways that are more likely to work because they are tailored to local needs and to the realities of where and how
people live, think and act, as individuals and as a group.
A technical working group of social scientists across the world’s regions was convened to guide and support further
development of the COVID-19 Research Roadmap agenda.1 The aim of this group is to translate evidence from
the social sciences into action that can inform response strategies by developing and sharing protocols, tools and
technical expertise, for example on key considerations from social science on public use of face masks, immunity
passports, homecare, routine immunization programmes, and vaccine implementation. The group achieves its
objectives through collaboration and by coordinating action with other initiatives, including with the research arm
of the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN).
The COVID-19 Research Roadmap highlighted the need for social science research in three priority areas:
First, research about the impacts of COVID-19 and the public health response, including secondary impacts, will
help countries at different phases of the response to learn from others. This is key to informing and tailoring local
and national responses. For example, research on how public health lock-down measures have affected mental
health and household incomes can help officials plan how best to support communities once these measures are
lifted. Under the COVID-19 Research Roadmap, a research group in China is studying the lessons learned following
the public health measures taken in that country.
Second, research on health systems and models of care in different regions will enable adaptation and efficiencies
specific to the COVID-19 health care response. Research in this area can help officials plan best approaches for
managing patient flows and also provide the right support to those providing care in formal and informal
community settings. A review of different models of homecare is currently underway to identify and share best
methods for low resource settings. Working with infection prevention and control experts, a research protocol
guidance document and data collection tools have also been developed to study the views of health workers on
infection prevention and control procedures and on their well-being. Research groups in different regions are
implementing this study and are meeting regularly to share experiences, results and learning.
Third, research on the flows of information, misinformation and disinformation, and on effective approaches for
addressing stigma, will help science-based information and recommendations reach intended audiences. Data-
driven insights can help officials tackle the infodemic and implement strategies to build trust. Across all these areas,
there is an essential need to define and prioritize vulnerable populations so that evidence can inform policy
development which accounts for and meets their needs.
1 Please see the Social Science Working group Terms of Reference here
The working group continues to collaborate with colleagues working on different technical areas and groups:
immunization, ethics, gender, maternal and child health, sexual and reproductive health, to name a few; informing
social science evidence in the work of WHO.
A toolbox on good participatory practice for COVID-19 clinical trials and on working with Community Advisory
Boards for COVID-19 related clinical studies is also now available.
Surveillance
Figure 1. Number of confirmed COVID-19 cases reported in the last seven days by country, territory or area, 14 May to 20 May**
**See Annex 1 for data, table and figure notes.
Figure 2. Number of confirmed COVID-19 cases, by date of report and WHO region, 30 December 2019 through 20 May 2020**
**See Annex 1 for data, table and figure notes.
Table 1. Countries, territories or areas with reported laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths, by WHO region. Data as of 10 AM CEST, 20 May 2020**
Reporting Country/ Territory/Area Total confirmed
cases Total confirmed new cases
Total deaths Total new deaths Transmission classificationi
Days since last reported case
Africa
South Africa 17 200 767 312 26 Community transmission 0
Algeria 7 377 176 561 6 Community transmission 0
Nigeria 6 401 226 192 1 Community transmission 0
Ghana 6 096 361 31 2 Community transmission 0
Cameroon 3 529 0 140 0 Community transmission 1
Guinea 2 863 67 18 2 Community transmission 0
Senegal 2 617 73 30 4 Community transmission 0
Côte d’Ivoire 2 153 34 28 0 Community transmission 0
Democratic Republic of the Congo 1 730 193 60 0 Community transmission 0
Gabon 1 502 70 12 1 Community transmission 0
Guinea-Bissau 1 038 0 6 0 Community transmission 1
Kenya 963 51 50 0 Community transmission 0
Niger 914 5 55 0 Community transmission 0
Mali 901 27 53 1 Community transmission 0
Equatorial Guinea 890 65 7 0 Community transmission 0
Burkina Faso 806 10 52 1 Community transmission 0
Zambia 772 11 7 0 Community transmission 0
Chad 545 26 56 2 Community transmission 0
Sierra Leone 534 15 33 0 Clusters of cases 0
United Republic of Tanzania 509 0 21 0 Community transmission 12
Reporting Country/ Territory/Area Total confirmed
cases Total confirmed new cases
Total deaths Total new deaths Transmission classificationi
Days since last reported case
Congo 420 6 15 0 Community transmission 0
Central African Republic 411 75 0 0 Sporadic cases 0
Ethiopia 365 13 5 0 Clusters of cases 0
Togo 338 8 12 0 Community transmission 0
Cabo Verde 335 7 3 0 Clusters of cases 0
Mauritius 332 0 10 0 Clusters of cases 23
Madagascar 326 4 2 1 Clusters of cases 0
Rwanda 308 11 0 0 Sporadic cases 0
South Sudan 282 0 4 0 Clusters of cases 2
Uganda 260 0 0 0 Sporadic cases 1
Liberia 233 4 23 1 Community transmission 0
Eswatini 208 3 2 0 Clusters of cases 0
São Tomé and Príncipe 165 0 7 0 Clusters of cases 1
Mozambique 146 1 0 0 Clusters of cases 0
Mauritania 131 50 4 0 Sporadic cases 0
Benin 130 1 2 0 Community transmission 0
Malawi 71 1 3 0 Clusters of cases 0
Angola 52 2 3 1 Clusters of cases 0
Zimbabwe 46 0 4 0 Sporadic cases 1
Burundi 42 0 1 0 Clusters of cases 2
Eritrea 39 0 0 0 Sporadic cases 31
Comoros 34 23 1 0 Community transmission 0
Reporting Country/ Territory/Area Total confirmed
cases Total confirmed new cases
Total deaths Total new deaths Transmission classificationi
Days since last reported case
Botswana 25 0 1 0 Clusters of cases 3
Gambia 24 0 1 0 Sporadic cases 2
Namibia 16 0 0 0 Sporadic cases 44
Seychelles 11 0 0 0 Clusters of cases 43
Lesotho 1 0 0 0 Pending 6
Territoriesii
Mayotte 1 419 49 19 1 Clusters of cases 0
Réunion 446 0 0 0 Clusters of cases 1
Americas
United States of America 1 477 459 13 227 89 271 697 Community transmission 0
Brazil 254 220 13 140 16 792 674 Community transmission 0
Peru 94 933 2 660 2 789 141 Community transmission 0
Canada 78 499 1 193 5 857 52 Community transmission 0
Mexico 51 633 2 414 5 332 155 Community transmission 0
Chile 46 059 0 478 0 Community transmission 1
Ecuador 34 151 969 2 839 103 Community transmission 0
Colombia 16 295 721 592 18 Community transmission 0
Dominican Republic 13 223 498 441 7 Community transmission 0
Panama 9 726 120 279 4 Community transmission 0
Argentina 8 371 303 382 9 Community transmission 0
Bolivia (Plurinational State of) 4 263 175 174 5 Clusters of cases 0
Honduras 2 798 152 146 4 Community transmission 0
Guatemala 2 001 89 38 3 Clusters of cases 0
Reporting Country/ Territory/Area Total confirmed
cases Total confirmed new cases
Total deaths Total new deaths Transmission classificationi
Days since last reported case
Cuba 1 887 6 79 0 Clusters of cases 0
El Salvador 1 498 85 30 0 Clusters of cases 0
Costa Rica 882 19 10 0 Clusters of cases 0
Paraguay 829 41 11 0 Community transmission 0
Uruguay 737 3 20 0 Clusters of cases 0
Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) 618 0 10 0 Clusters of cases 1
Haiti 533 77 21 1 Clusters of cases 0
Jamaica 520 0 9 0 Clusters of cases 1
Guyana 124 7 10 0 Clusters of cases 0
Trinidad and Tobago 116 0 8 0 Sporadic cases 22
Bahamas 96 0 11 0 Clusters of cases 4
Barbados 88 0 7 0 Clusters of cases 1
Antigua and Barbuda 25 0 3 0 Clusters of cases 16
Nicaragua 25 0 8 0 Clusters of cases 6
Grenada 22 0 0 0 Clusters of cases 4
Belize 18 0 2 0 Sporadic cases 35
Saint Lucia 18 0 0 0 Sporadic cases 15
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 17 0 0 0 Sporadic cases 15
Dominica 16 0 0 0 Clusters of cases 39
Saint Kitts and Nevis 15 0 0 0 Sporadic cases 29
Suriname 11 0 1 0 Sporadic cases 1
Territoriesii
Puerto Rico 2 805 95 124 0 Clusters of cases 0
Reporting Country/ Territory/Area Total confirmed
cases Total confirmed new cases
Total deaths Total new deaths Transmission classificationi
Days since last reported case
French Guiana 210 13 1 0 Clusters of cases 0
Martinique 192 0 14 0 Clusters of cases 3
Guadeloupe 155 0 13 0 Clusters of cases 7
Bermuda 125 2 9 0 Clusters of cases 0
Aruba 101 0 3 0 Sporadic cases 14
Cayman Islands 94 0 1 0 Clusters of cases 3
Sint Maarten 78 0 15 0 Sporadic cases 6
United States Virgin Islands 69 0 6 0 Clusters of cases 9
Saint Martin 39 0 3 0 Sporadic cases 9
Curaçao 16 0 1 0 Sporadic cases 22
Falkland Islands (Malvinas) 13 0 0 0 Clusters of cases 24
Turks and Caicos Islands 12 0 1 0 Sporadic cases 22
Montserrat 11 0 1 0 Sporadic cases 36
British Virgin Islands 8 0 1 0 Sporadic cases 4
Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba 6 0 0 0 Sporadic cases 22
Saint Barthélemy 6 0 0 0 Sporadic cases 50
Anguilla 3 0 0 0 Sporadic cases 46
Saint Pierre and Miquelon 1 0 0 0 Sporadic cases 42
Eastern Mediterranean
Iran (Islamic Republic of) 124 603 2 111 7 119 62 Community transmission 0
Saudi Arabia 59 854 2 509 329 0 Clusters of cases 0
Pakistan 45 184 1 218 985 46 Clusters of cases 0
Qatar 35 606 1 637 15 0 Community transmission 0
Reporting Country/ Territory/Area Total confirmed
cases Total confirmed new cases
Total deaths Total new deaths Transmission classificationi
Days since last reported case
United Arab Emirates 25 063 892 227 0 Pending 0
Kuwait 16 764 1 073 121 0 Clusters of cases 0
Egypt 13 484 720 659 14 Clusters of cases 0
Afghanistan 8 145 490 187 10 Clusters of cases 0
Bahrain 7 532 348 12 0 Clusters of cases 0
Morocco 7 023 71 193 0 Clusters of cases 0
Oman 5 671 0 27 1 Clusters of cases 1
Iraq 3 611 57 131 4 Clusters of cases 0
Sudan 2 728 137 111 6 Community transmission 0
Djibouti 1 618 100 7 0 Clusters of cases 0
Somalia 1 502 47 59 2 Sporadic cases 0
Tunisia 1 044 1 47 1 Community transmission 0
Lebanon 954 23 26 0 Clusters of cases 0
Jordan 649 20 9 0 Clusters of cases 0
Yemen 171 37 29 8 Pending 0
Libya 68 3 3 0 Clusters of cases 0
Syrian Arab Republic 58 0 3 0 Community transmission 2
Territoriesii
occupied Palestinian territory 570 3 4 0 Clusters of cases 0
Europe
Russian Federation 308 705 8 764 2 972 135 Clusters of cases 0
The United Kingdom 248 822 2 412 35 341 545 Community transmission 0
Spain 232 037 431 27 778 69 Community transmission 0
Reporting Country/ Territory/Area Total confirmed
cases Total confirmed new cases
Total deaths Total new deaths Transmission classificationi
Days since last reported case
Italy 226 699 813 32 169 162 Community transmission 0
Germany 176 007 797 8 090 83 Community transmission 0
Turkey 151 615 1 022 4 199 28 Community transmission 0
France 140 959 462 27 972 -218 Community transmission 0
Belgium 55 791 232 9 108 28 Community transmission 0
Netherlands 44 249 108 5 715 21 Community transmission 0
Belarus 31 508 936 175 4 Community transmission 0
Sweden 30 799 422 3 743 45 Community transmission 0
Switzerland 30 535 21 1 613 11 Community transmission 0
Portugal 29 432 223 1 247 16 Community transmission 0
Ireland 24 251 51 1 561 14 Community transmission 0
Poland 19 268 383 948 12 Community transmission 0
Ukraine 19 230 354 564 16 Community transmission 0
Romania 17 191 155 1 126 19 Community transmission 0
Israel 16 650 29 277 5 Pending 0
Austria 16 257 78 632 3 Community transmission 0
Denmark 11 044 76 551 3 Community transmission 0
Serbia 10 733 34 234 3 Pending 0
Czechia 8 647 61 302 5 Community transmission 0
Norway 8 257 8 233 0 Clusters of cases 0
Kazakhstan 6 969 218 35 0 Pending 0
Finland 6 399 19 301 1 Pending 0
Republic of Moldova 6 340 202 224 5 Pending 0
Reporting Country/ Territory/Area Total confirmed
cases Total confirmed new cases
Total deaths Total new deaths Transmission classificationi
Days since last reported case
Armenia 5 271 230 67 3 Clusters of cases 0
Luxembourg 3 958 11 109 2 Pending 0
Hungary 3 598 42 470 3 Community transmission 0
Azerbaijan 3 518 131 41 1 Clusters of cases 0
Uzbekistan 2 880 78 13 0 Clusters of cases 0
Greece 2 840 4 165 0 Clusters of cases 0
Bosnia and Herzegovina 2 319 16 133 1 Community transmission 0
Bulgaria 2 292 33 116 4 Clusters of cases 0
Croatia 2 232 4 96 1 Community transmission 0
Tajikistan 1 936 207 44 0 Pending 0
North Macedonia 1 839 22 106 2 Clusters of cases 0
Iceland 1 802 0 10 0 Community transmission 6
Estonia 1 791 7 64 0 Pending 0
Lithuania 1 562 15 60 1 Community transmission 0
Slovakia 1 495 0 28 0 Clusters of cases 1
Slovenia 1 467 1 104 0 Clusters of cases 0
Kyrgyzstan 1 270 27 14 0 Clusters of cases 0
Latvia 1 012 3 21 2 Clusters of cases 0
Albania 964 16 31 0 Clusters of cases 0
Cyprus 918 1 17 0 Clusters of cases 0
Andorra 761 0 51 0 Community transmission 6
Georgia 713 11 12 0 Community transmission 0
San Marino 668 0 41 0 Community transmission 2
Reporting Country/ Territory/Area Total confirmed
cases Total confirmed new cases
Total deaths Total new deaths Transmission classificationi
Days since last reported case
Malta 560 2 6 0 Sporadic cases 0
Montenegro 324 0 9 0 Clusters of cases 14
Monaco 96 0 1 0 Sporadic cases 9
Liechtenstein 83 0 1 0 Pending 24
Holy See 12 0 0 0 Sporadic cases 13
Territoriesii
Kosovo[1] 989 34 29 0 Community transmission 0
Isle of Man 335 0 24 0 Pending 2
Jersey 303 1 27 0 Community transmission 0
Guernsey 252 0 13 0 Community transmission 17
Faroe Islands 187 0 0 0 Pending 26
Gibraltar 147 0 0 0 Clusters of cases 7
Greenland 11 0 0 0 Pending 44
South-East Asia
India 106 750 5 611 3 303 140 Clusters of cases 0
Bangladesh 25 121 1 251 370 21 Clusters of cases 0
Indonesia 18 496 486 1 221 30 Community transmission 0
Thailand 3 034 1 56 0 Clusters of cases 0
Maldives 1 143 37 4 0 Clusters of cases 0
Sri Lanka 1 027 35 9 0 Clusters of cases 0
Nepal 402 27 2 0 Sporadic cases 0
Myanmar 193 2 6 0 Clusters of cases 0
Reporting Country/ Territory/Area Total confirmed
cases Total confirmed new cases
Total deaths Total new deaths Transmission classificationi
Days since last reported case
Timor-Leste 24 0 0 0 Clusters of cases 26
Bhutan 21 0 0 0 Sporadic cases 4
Western Pacific
China 84 505 5 4 645 0 Clusters of cases 0
Singapore 28 794 451 22 0 Clusters of cases 0
Japan 16 385 20 771 8 Clusters of cases 0
Philippines 12 942 224 837 6 Community transmission 0
Republic of Korea 11 110 32 263 0 Clusters of cases 0
Australia 7 068 8 99 0 Clusters of cases 0
Malaysia 6 978 37 114 1 Clusters of cases 0
New Zealand 1 153 0 21 0 Clusters of cases 1
Viet Nam 324 0 0 0 Clusters of cases 1
Brunei Darussalam 141 0 1 0 Clusters of cases 12
Mongolia 140 0 0 0 Sporadic cases 1
Cambodia 122 0 0 0 Sporadic cases 38
Lao People's Democratic Republic 19 0 0 0 Sporadic cases 37
Fiji 18 0 0 0 Sporadic cases 29
Papua New Guinea 8 0 0 0 Sporadic cases 27
Territoriesii
Guam 149 0 5 0 Clusters of cases 5
French Polynesia 60 0 0 0 Sporadic cases 14
Reporting Country/ Territory/Area Total confirmed
cases Total confirmed new cases
Total deaths Total new deaths Transmission classificationi
Days since last reported case
Northern Mariana Islands (Commonwealth of the) 21 0 2 0 Pending 3
New Caledonia 18 0 0 0 Sporadic cases 47
Subtotal for all regions 4 788 493 77 375 318 776 3 318
Other* 712 0 13 0 - 65
Grand total 4 789 205 77 375 318 789 3 318
**See Annex 1 for data, table and figure notes.
Technical guidance and other resources – To view all technical guidance documents regarding COVID-19, please go to this webpage.
– Updates from WHO regional offices
– WHO AFRO – WHO PAHO
– WHO EMRO – WHO SEARO
– WHO EURO – WHO WPRO
– Research and Development
– Online courses on COVID-19 and in additional national languages
– The Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan (SPRP) outlining the support the international
community can provide to all countries to prepare and respond to the virus
– WHO Health Emergency dashboard
– Weekly COVID-19 Operations Updates
Recommendations and advice for the public – Protect yourself
– Questions and answers
– Travel advice
– EPI-WIN: tailored information for individuals, organizations and communities
Case definitions WHO periodically updates the Global Surveillance for human infection with coronavirus disease
(COVID-19) document which includes surveillance definitions.
Definition of COVID-19 death
COVID-19 death is defined for surveillance purposes as a death resulting from a clinically compatible
illness in a probable or confirmed COVID-19 case, unless there is a clear alternative cause of death that
cannot be related to COVID-19 disease (e.g. trauma). There should be no period of complete recovery
between the illness and death.
Further guidance for certification and classification (coding) of COVID-19 as cause of death is available here.
Annex 1: Data, table and figure notes Caution must be taken when interpreting all data presented. Differences are to be expected between information products published by WHO, national public health authorities, and other sources using
different inclusion criteria and different data cut-off times. While steps are taken to ensure accuracy and reliability, all data are subject to continuous verification and change. Case detection, definitions, testing strategies, reporting practice, and lag times differ between countries/territories/areas. These
factors, amongst others, influence the counts presented, with variable underestimation of true case and death counts, and variable delays to reflecting these data at global level.
The designations employed, and the presentation of these materials do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of WHO concerning the legal status of any country, territory or
area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Dotted and dashed lines on maps represent approximate border lines for which there may not yet be full agreement. Countries, territories and areas are arranged under the administering WHO region.
The mention of specific companies or of certain manufacturers’ products does not imply that they are
endorsed or recommended by WHO in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. Errors and omissions excepted, the names of proprietary products are distinguished by initial capital letters.
[1] All references to Kosovo should be understood to be in the context of the United Nations Security
Council resolution 1244 (1999). In the map, number of cases of Serbia and Kosovo (UNSCR 1244, 1999) have been aggregated for visualization purposes.
Counts reflect laboratory-confirmed cases and deaths, based on WHO case definitions, unless stated
otherwise (see Country, territory, or area-specific updates and errata), and include both domestic and repatriated cases.
Other*: includes cases reported from an international conveyance (Diamond Princess).
Due to the recent trend of countries conducting data reconciliation exercises which remove large numbers of cases or deaths from their total counts, WHO will now display such data as negative
numbers in the “new cases” / “new deaths” columns as appropriate. This will aid readers in identifying when such adjustments occur. When additional details become available that allow the subtractions to be suitably apportioned to previous days, graphics will be updated accordingly. Prior situation reports
will not be edited; see covid19.who.int for the most up-to-date data.
Additional table notes
i Transmission classification is based on a process of country/territory/area self -reporting. Classifications are reviewed on a weekly basis, may be revised as new information becomes available, and are based on the highest category reported. Differing degrees of transmission may be present
within countries/territories/areas. Categories:
• No cases: with no confirmed cases (not shown in table).
• Sporadic cases: with one or more cases, imported or locally detected.
• Clusters of cases: experiencing cases, clustered in time, geographic location and/or by common exposures.
• Community transmission: experiencing larger outbreaks of local transmission defined through an assessment of factors including, but not limited to: large numbers of cases not linkable to
transmission chains; large numbers of cases from sentinel lab surveillance; and/or multiple unrelated clusters in several areas of the country/territory/area.
• Pending: transmission classification has not been reported to WHO.
ii “Territories” include territories, areas, overseas dependencies and other jurisdictions of similar status.
Country, territory, or area-specific updates and errata
• Update 20 May 2020, United States of America: Counts adjusted retrospectively by national authorities due to data reclassification: 57 cases and one death were excluded.
• Update 20 May 2020, France: Counts adjusted retrospectively by national authorities due to data reclassification: 218 deaths were excluded.
• Erratum 20 May 2020, United States of America, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Saudi
Arabia, Qatar: Reported data were initially attributed to the incorrect date. Data are now attributed to the correct reporting date.